


What if...

by Dabberdees



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, I always entertained the idea of companion swaps and doctor swaps, multi-chapter, so decided to write some down
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-19 02:16:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19347508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dabberdees/pseuds/Dabberdees
Summary: A series and collection of companion and Doctor swaps over the course of NuWho episodes (and perhaps Classic if I know of them but mainly NuWho).Will add characters as they appear.





	What if...

Bill pauses, her gaze locked onto Graham as he looks over the fjord. “What happened in there, with the Solitract?”

The Doctor turns around from the TARDIS at the sound of Bill’s question, and he watches the older man as well. “The Solitract, it showed him, someone.”

Bill looks up at the Doctor, brows furrowed in thought. “Who did it show him, Doctor?”

The Doctor narrows his eyes ever so slightly. “His wife.”

“Wife? I thought he and you-” The Doctor turns and raises an eyebrow at her. “Never mind, so, wife-.”

“Grace.”

“Where is she?”

The Doctor looks down to the floor. “Dead.”

Bill watches the Doctor’s face and the pain in his own eyes at the mention of wifeand dead in the same sentence. She turns back to watch Graham turned away from the both of them, shoulders and head lowered to the ground in the same vein of the Doctor. “Someone should go and speak to him.”

“They probably should.” The Doctor replied, hands buried in his trouser pockets and feet planted firmly in the ground, and missing the prompted tone in Bill’s voice.

“I was suggesting that you should go and speak to him, Doctor,” said Bill. “I see the pain behind your eyes, something that I saw in his.” She smiles, weakly back at him. “And I hardly know Graham-” She frowns, eyes turning back to the Doctor owns. “How long have you known him? Didn’t know you had other friends apart from Nardole.”

The Doctor blows air out through his mouth and shrugs. “Humans and years, I don’t tend to do them in chronological order.” He answered, diverting the topic away from something he doesn’t want to talk about. “And Nardole isn’t a friend; he’s a perpetual annoyance.”

“Big words, Doctor, but surely you must know, seeing that you looked upon him fondly when he entered the TARDIS for the first time,” Bill said nudging the Doctor who only frowns at her. “And Nardole moaned about having to clear up after another human again, to which Graham said, “Missed you as well, Nardole.” so you’ve known him for a while-”

“Three years.” The Doctor interjected. “He comes to Bristol now and then, but never stays for long, and he’s never entered the TARDIS.”

“Where is he from if he doesn’t live in Bristol?”

“Sheffield.”

Bill looks over to Graham’s still form. “If you stay in Bristol and he’s from Sheffield, then how did you meet each other?”

“I picked up a signal in Sheffield, left Nardole to look after the vault and went to see what it was.” The Doctor began to explain, eyes looking ahead and avoiding the solemn statue of Graham. “Alien, usual business, trying to take over, cause mayhem, kill, always with the killing. I stopped them, but Grace died in the process, left behind him and her grandson.”

Bill sticks her own hands in her pockets as she levels a sympathetic gaze at Graham’s back. “How?” She has a moment of thought. “That’s if you wanted to tell me, not sure it’s my place to know, cause I hardly know Graham and it might seem as intruding into his life.”

The Doctor shrugs his shoulders. “He might tell you,” He looks back over to Bill, eyes scrutinising her. “Might try adopting you, got a thing for giving advice, of course, I don’t need it.”

“What?” Bill pulls a face at the Doctor, at first thinking he’s joking and then realising he’s not. “What do you mean?”

“He’s a grandfather.”

Bill looks over to Graham again. “He doesn’t look old enough to be a grandfather.” She smirks and looks back at the Doctor. “Now you look old enough to be a grandfather.”

The Doctor pulls an offended face at her. “Please, a Dad, at least, I’m young-”

Bill raises her eyebrow at him; arms crossed against her chest. “Either way, we’re well off-topic, Doctor.”

“Topic?” The Doctor asked, realising what Bill is referring back to and choosing not to show that he knows.

“You should speak to him, he’ll need it-” She looks ahead again, mind wandering away and landing on her own mother. “Because if I saw my mum in there-” Bill looks to the floor, a lump in her throat. “-I would need someone to speak to.”

The Doctor closes his eyes, his own mind travelling away and flicking through the many people he’s lost over his long life. He takes a step forward, feet crunching on the dried leaves upon the forest floor. Graham doesn’t turn to face him as he approaches, head still bowed to the forest floor. “Graham.”

“Doc,” Graham greeted, finally bringing his head up and looking sideways at the Doctor, eyes misty and red. “I know you’re not one to talk-” He glances back, eyes landing on Bill who raises her hand in a small wave. “Did Bill ask you to come over? She seems nice, glad you found someone to keep you from murdering Nardole.”

“No, she didn’t-” The Doctor started as Graham stares back, clearly not believing him. “-What you saw in there was cruel.” He said instead.

Graham shrugs at the Doctor, head turning to look over the fjord again. “It was, and it wasn’t if I’m honest.” He lets out a small chuckle, but there’s no amusement in it. “It’s been years since she passed away, Doc, and it hurts, but they got better cause me and Ryan, we worked out our differences.”

“Your grandson.”

Graham nods. “You remembered, I’m impressed.” He turns his gaze back to the Doctor now. “He actually calls me grandad. Grace always said he would.” He pauses. “I hope you understood why I turned down the offer to travel with you when first offered it, he was a kid who lost his nan and mum, couldn’t lose another person even if he hated them at the time.”

“Ryan.”

“Bingo got that in one Doc, would’ve been a bad idea to leave him alone with Aaron, not when his tendency to be a less than ideal dad was a common occurrence; he dropped the lad on my doorstep on more than one occasion when his work took him away.”

“So, what changed now?”

“He got a different job, and I’m not Ryan’s biological grandfather. I don’t have any rights.” Graham said, looking out and over the fjord again.

That doesn’t answer the question for the Doctor, but the distant look on Graham’s face tells him that he doesn’t want to talk about it for the time being. They stare ahead, and after a while, Graham turns back to the Doctor.

“Erik, he’s got a lot of work to make it right for Hanne, to think he would’ve left her like that. Made me think of Ryan and his dyspraxia, careless and irresponsible… but I understand him, Doc, I do.” Graham said suddenly, now sticking his hands in his jacket and turning his head to face the Doctor, face clearly wanting to ask a question.

“Ask what you want to ask, Graham.”

“Why didn’t the Solitract show you anyone, Doc?”

The Doctor digs his hands into his own pockets, mirroring Graham with feet kicking at the soil. “It wouldn’t know who to pick, Graham, I’ve lost so much-” He stares ahead. “River, the obvious choice, but there were many before her. To pick one would’ve been valid, but it went with you, easier in the end.”

“Lucky me then.” Graham snarked back at the Doctor, humour touching his tone again. He glances back at Bill again. “So, Bill.”

“Bill?” The Doctor frowns. “Oh, Bill!”

Graham blinks at the Doctor. “Who did you think I was talking about? Yes, that Bill, the one who made you come over here and talk to me.”

“She didn’t-”

“Doc, I’ve known you for a few years now to know how you act.” Graham interrupted.

“What about her?”

“How did you travelling with her come about?” Graham asked, gesturing to the young woman watching them. He smiles over to her, which she returns.

The Doctor looks back at Graham. “There was a puddle and a girl named Heather, and a Dalek.”

Graham lets out a low laugh. “Sounds ’bout right for you then.” He said now turning away from the view and starting to walk back up to the TARDIS. “Probably should get to know her then, if I’m gonna be staying in Bristol for a while.”

“Staying?”

Graham stops, head turning back to the Doctor. “Aaron took Ryan away from Sheffield, he’s still legally a kid, and I’m not- I don’t have rights, Doc, there’s nothing I can do cause I’ve tried. He’s better with his father, that’s what they said.” And with that, he turns, hands in his pockets as the Doctor stares at his back realising why Graham reappeared again for the first time.

“Not his biological grandfather. I have no rights.” The Doctor repeated Graham’s statement from earlier, quietly and not for the older human man to hear. He looks at his back again and briefly, considers pulling strings and calling in a favour, but Graham wouldn’t want that, he’ll just accept it even if it _hurts._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I once saw a picture on tumblr that someone made of Twelve and Graham in It Takes You Away and it stuck with me.  
> Ryan is still considered a young-adult by being under eighteen, and I might've de-aged him slightly.


End file.
